Welt for boots and shoes.



W. B. ARNOLD.

WELT FOR BOOTS AND SHOES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 29. 1911.

Patented Apr. 22, 1913.

V n J n Mines es COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0.,wA$mNuToN. D. c.

WILLIAM ARNOLD, OF NORTH AIBINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

WELT FOR BOOTS AND SHOES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 22, 1913.

Application filed December 29, 1911. Serial No. 668,500.

'1 b all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. ARNOLD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of North Abington, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Felts for Boots and Shoes, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to welts for boots and shoes.

In order that the principle of the invention may be readily understood, I have disclosed a single embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a cross section taken through a shoe having my improved welt secured thereto; Fig. 2 is a cross sectional detail on an enlarged scale and showing more clearly the manner of securing the welt in position; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the welt looking at the grain face thereof; Fig. 4 is a cross section view upon an enlarged scale of the welt shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the manner of cutting from a blank the welt embodying my invention; and Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but indicating the former manner of cutting welts from blanks.

The high cost of leather renders necessary the saving of all possible material. It is therefore highly desirable that the welts of boots and shoes be cut with the least possible,

waste. Welts are usually cut as strips of indeterminate length from a blank by cuts which are normal to the faces of the blank, so that the welt is rectangular in cross section when out from the blank. In order that the welt may be properly applied to the boot or shoe, it is desirable that its inner edge be of reducedthickness or tapered. This taper is usually given to the welt after the welt has been cut from the blank, though in some cases a strip wide enough for two welts is cut from a blank as shown, for example, in Fig. 6, in the patent to Bicknell, No. 707,076, and in Figs. 3 and 6 of the patent to Hadaway, No. 744,752, said strip being cut into two welts by a cut inclined to the faces of the strip as there indicated. \Vhile cutting a strip into two welts in the manner indicated in said patent affords a certain saving of material, it is the purpose of my invention to effect an increased saving.

VVelts vary in width but are customarily from one half to three quarters of an inch 1n width. Assuming the normal welt to be one half inch in width, I am enabled in the practice of my invention to save substantially from one-eighth of an inch to onequarter of an inch upon the width of two welts or from one-sixteenth t0 one-eighth of an inch to every .welt, depending upon the lnclination of the bevels thereof. That is to say, I am enabled to save one-eighth or onequarter of all the material, thereby permitting the production of an increased number of welts from a blank of given size.

Assuming that the extreme width of a welt is to be one-half inch, and assuming that each welt should have a tapered inner edge to permit it to be secured in more etfeo tlve manner to the shoe, instead of cutting the leather blank into strips, each rectangular in cross section and one-half inch along each face, as indicated in Fig. 6, I cut the blank into strips by cuts, all of which are parallel to each other and are separated about six or seven-sixteenths of an inch from each other as indicated in Fig. 5, depending upon the angle of the tapered out. It will be apparent that the full width of the welt is one-half inch and that the inclined cut at the outer edge of each welt furnishes the desired inclined edge of the next welt. Therefore, I efiect a great saving over that manner of cutting a weltwhich consists in cutting it into strips rectangular in cross section and thereupon beveling the inner edge and I also effect a Very substantial saving over that method of cutting the welt abox e referred to which consists in first cutting a strip of the width of two welts and then separating them by an inclined cut. The amount of saving eifected by my invention over such manner of cutting the 'welt last. referred to amounts to the full width of the tapered portion of the welt. Moreover I save a step in the manufacture of the welt because heretofore it has been customary to cut the welt into a rectangular form in cross section and then'to bevel the inner edge and channel the flesh face, I am enabled to dispense with said beveli-ng as a separate operation because suchjbeveling is inherent in the separationof the stock into welts.

The direction of bevel in the welt constituting my invention is such that the upper or grain face thereof at its outer edge when applied to the shoe, terminates short of the 5 lower orgopposite face of the welt. In so beveling the welt, I secure certain important advantages. In the first place, I secure an important saving of material at the outer edge of the welt, since the material removed in the final trimming operations from the outer edge of the welt is not or need not be more than the amount of the bevel itself. Inasmuch as the welt, when applied to the shoe, is provided with an outer edge of reduced thickness, the welt is less rigid than one having an outer edge at right angles to its faces. By reason of the described beveling of the outer edge of the welt, the latter is rendered more pliable and can be applied '20 far more readily to the shoe and particularly can it be bent around the toe thereof. In other words, not only is the beveling of the outer edge of the welt advantageous in that thereby I provide a beveled inner edge of the adjoining welt, but a welt having a beveled outer edge is structurally advan- "tageous, owing to the fact that it can be therebymore readily and accurately applied v to the shoe. Obviously when the welt has 3'0 been applied to the shoe, its beveled outer edge has completely subserved its function of rendering the welt more pliable and its subsequent removal is immaterial.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the welt embodying my invention is represented at 1 in the several figures, the

the flesh face at 3. The welt may be and preferably is provided upon its flesh face with stitch anchoring shoulder which may be provided by channeling the welt adjacent its inner edge, as indicated at 4 1n Flg.

't'or by applying a strand or line of stitching or the like.

As shown in the welt are tapered in substantial paral- "lelism, as indicated at 5 and 6, each welt when cut presenting an obtuse angle at the grain face at its outer edge and an acute angle at the grain'face at its inner edge. "The'cutsf'by which the blank is separated =into wlts is'prefera'bly straight as herein "indicated.

"The welt 1 is secured to the insole 8 as shown in Fig. '1 by a line of through and through stitching 9passing through the in- -"sole,the"weltand the upper 10. It isevid'ent ithat if the taper or'bevel of the inner tugs bevery gradual, the stitches 9 passing 160 tthrough" the welt from the stitch anchoring sho'ultler 4 "willissue from the welt at some [zp'ointiin the tapering portion of the inner Zed-geinstead 'of-emerging through the grain I face 'ther-eof. It desirable that the A135 stitches emerge through the grains face rain face thereofbeing indicated at 2 and.

Figs. land 5, the edges of itself, as thereby a greater amount of stock is penetrated by the stitching which will therefore be held more effectively and the grain face itself affords greater-resistance than the other portions of the leather. In order therefore to make certain that the line of stitching will emerge through the grain face itself or substantially along the line of junction of the grain face and the taper of the inner edge, I incline the cuts by which the blank is severed into welts at such an angle as to provide substantially blunt tapers, as indicated in the several figures. In this manner the grain face of the welt will, when the welt is applied to the shoe, extend sufiiciently inward to receive the stitching and thereby effectively support the welt as described.

After the welt has been secured to the shoe and the out sole applied thereto, as indicated in Fig. 1, the welt and out sole may be trimmed in the usual manner.

The outer edge of the welt and the outer edge of the sole are invariably trimmed in finishing the shoe, and the portion of the square edged welt thus cut off would always equal in width at least the width or extent of the bevel or tapered outer edge and would be of at least double the mass, unless an extreme taper or bevel be resorted to. Therefore there is no loss incurred in trimming off the outer bevelededge after the welt has been applied, beyond that always inherent in the finishing of boots and shoes.

It will be evident from the illustration 1 and from the foregoing description that by employing a welt having an inner beveled edge, such as 5, which 1s to be applied to theouter surface of the upper 10,;by reason of such beveled surface, the .welt may be maintained substantially. flat when and after 1t 1s beingsewed to the insole and to the upper that is, the beveling of'the inner edge permits the welt so to be applied to the outer surface of the upper that-the stitching may be applied thereto, as illustrated in Fig. 4, without bending or deflecting the welt, asis the case when the inner edge of the welt is at right angles to the upper and lower face thereof. Aside, therefore, from-the saving in material heretofore referred to, by my invention I am enabled sot-o prepare the welt for application to-the shoe that it maybe more readily secured thereto.

The beveling of the inner edge of the welt; that is, that edge of the welt that isapplicd to the upper,-so prepares the welt that when applied tothe shoe, it is not only more elastic but it is necessary to cut. off far less material between the line of stitching and thebody of the shoe than in those welts which are rectangular in crosssection. In fact, it is unnecessary to-reinove any substantialamountof such inner-. edge. In other words, the welt embodyingamyinvention;,is

not only of great commercial value, because of the very substantial saving in stock re-' sulting therefrom, but the cutting of the welt in the manner described prepares the same for application to the shoe, and it fits thereto more easily and elastically than does the rectangularly shaped welt, and furthermore less subsequent treatment of the inner edge of my welt is required than in those of rectangular shape.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that by cutting the welt as above described I effect a very substantial saving of material, such saying of material being represented by every ninth welt or more cut from the blank. w

The welt constituting my invention when applied to the shoe and finished in the trimming operations is fully as wide as a welt having square outer edges but having each face of the same width as the corresponding face in the welt herein disclosed, In other words, a square edged welt such as described after being applied to the shoe and trimmed in the finishing operations is no wider than applicants welt when applied and similarly trimmed.

WVelt users and shoe manufacturers classify welts according to their extreme widths, and inasmuch as the extreme width of appli cants welt exceeds the extreme width of a square edged welt, each face whereof is of the same width as the corresponding face of applicants welt, it will be evident that applicants welt is classed as a wider welt than the square edged welt referred to.

After any welt has been sewed to the shoe,

the rough rounder cuts 01f the edge of the sole and of the welt. The amount of welt taken ofl at the different points about the shoe varies, the least width being usually taken off at the outside ball portion of the foot. At substantially any point, however, excepting the outside ball portion, the width of weltcut ofi by the rough rounder is one sixteenth of an inch or more. This is invariably cut off. The welt is never left uncut, but is always trimmed by the rough rounder, not only to give the approximate desired shape, but to secure clean stock about the entire shoe. That is to say, it is the invariable practice. to trim the welt at all points, not only to give the required shape, but also to produce a fresh cut edge. In addition to the width of welt cut ofi by the rough rounder, the trimming machine cuts off an additional amount varying from one sixty-fourth to one thirty-second of an inch. Therefore, no welt in the finished shoe is of that full width possessed by the welt when first sewed in place and before it is trimmed by the rough rounder.

The trimming machine usually employed for the purpose of trimming the welt and sole is provided with a rotating cutter composed of a hub having a series of inclined blades extending in a general radial direction therefrom. Each of said blades is provided at its outer end with a cutting edge. the central or main portion of which is vertical andthe upper, and sometimes the lower portion, of which are inclined so as to pro vide projecting cutting shoulders triangular in vertical section at the upper and lower faces of each blade. The said cutting shoulder at theupper edge is customarily provided for the purpose of beveling off the upper, outer edge of the welt to give a finished appearance thereto.

The welt herein disclosed,provided as it is with a beveled, upper, outer edge, is trimmed with the sole by the rough rounder into approximate shape, the amount of material taken off varying to suit the style or type of shoe. Depending upon the style or type of the shoe, more or less of the beveled, upper, outer edge is left untouched or intact by the rough rounder, and this is particularly the case at the outer, ball portion of the shoe, which is customarily left of the full width of the welt. Therefore, when the shoe is removed from the rough rounder, a consider- -able portion of the welt, depending in extent to be more readily flexed about or applied to the shoe, but the said bevel constitutes a guide or support in the finishing operation. Further, it is evident from the foregoing that it is unnecessary, when the outer bevel extends in the direction herein indicated, to

remove in the finishing operation a portion of the width of the welt equaling the full extent of the taper, as a substantial portion of said taper may be retained to constitute a finishing shoulder. Moreover, the bevel, when at the upper, outer edge of the welt, as herein disclosed, constitutes an indicating mark, particularly at the outer ball portion of the foot, by which the operative is guided in his work. In other words, knowing that it is desirable to leave the said bevel or shoulder at the outer ball portion of the foot, he so guides the shoe as to effect this result, whereas if the welt has an outer, upper square edge with no mark inside of such outer edge to which he must not out, then he is more apt to out too far in. In the welt herein described, the inner, upper edge of the welt lying as it does at a substantial distance inside the outer edge of the sole, constitutes a safety mark, as it were, outside of which the cutting should be carried on.

The sole of a shoe as applied thereto and before it is trimmed is never absolutely square at the edge. It is substantially impossible to die out a sole so that its edges will be absolutely square, though attempts have been made to produce this result by somewhat inclining or beveling the dying outedges to compensate for the irregularity or' taper always produced in attempting to cut thersole absolutely square. Therefore, it is always necessary that the sole be trimmed along its edges to secure a square edge. This v 'trimming'of the edge of the sole'is accompanied by trimmingof the edge of the welt, 7 so that the width of the final welt is always less than the distance between the face of.

the upper and the extreme outer edge of the welt when sewed to theshoe but prior to;

the rough rounding operation, It will therefore be evident that a welt originally squarelf edged must be invariably and very matey rially trimmed at its outer edge, 'so that it is; never ultimately of its full primary width; The amount that must be trimmed off the outer edge of a -square edge welt is always at least equal to the amount of the bevel inf the welt constituting my invention. It can never be less than the amount of said bevel;

From the foregoing, it will'be evident'that:

a Welt constructedin accordance with my in vention and origlnally having a beveled outer edge is not narrower 1n the finished limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claim.

Claim-'- v As an article of manufacture, a welt of indeterminate length readily flexed and pliable in'its own-plane at the toe of the shoe,

said welt having an approximately uniform thickness throughout the width of its body portion andthroughout nearly its entire width and also having its inner and outer edges in substantial parallelism and beveled with respect to the upper and lower faces of the welt and in such adirection that the flesh of under face of the welt at the outer edge thereof extends beyond the grain or upper face thereof to a substantial extent.

' In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. v a

WVILLIAM B. ARNOLD.

WVitnesses: i

ROBERT H. KAMMLER, IRENE CHANDLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington; D. G. 

